Saul Rodriguez, 35, was arrested Monday after allegedly swiping two pallets of the classic flowers from Monterey Bay Bouquet on San Andreas Road on Jan. 31, deputy April Skalland said, adding Rodriguez used to work there.

When a manager reported the theft the next morning, deputies gathered physical evidence at the scene and identified Rodriguez, she said.

He turned himself in Monday.

Since the flowers were stolen two weeks before Valentine's Day and roses die quickly, Rodriguez was unable to sell them. He threw them in a ditch off Highway 152, Skalland said.

Rodriguez was booked into County Jail on suspicion of commercial burglary with bail set at $25,000.